You'll long for something as Sweet as Pain
by UnaOnimousIsAwesome
Summary: Ten years after the Chitauri invaded Earth, Thanos delivers his promise to Loki and forces him to kidnap the children of the Avengers and watch as his Brother and friends suffer. What neither Loki or Thanos remember is that these are the children of the Avengers, and they won't stay without a fight.
1. Last Month

**Prologue- Last Month**

I'm surprised this has gotten so much attention already, but I want to add a few filler chapters to slow it down a little. My writing style is usually pretty rushed. :D

* * *

Loki was growing more uneasy as every day passed. It was ten years since he tried to conquer Midgard- Thor's beloved realm – and The Other's threat was weighing heavily on his mind.

"_You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain."_

The voice mocked him as he tried to sleep, haunted his nightmares, and the worst part was Loki had no idea what they would do to him if, no, _when _they captured him.

Still, the wait could be a lot worse. He could be tortured in these prison walls, screaming for mercy. Thor had seen to that.

Loki would have scoffed if he could. The idiot defended him during the trial, despite what he'd done. Somehow, Odin listened, and merely agreed to lock Loki in the cold, damp, Asgardian prison for a couple of millennia.

He only knew how much time had passed because of the consistent clockwork of guards going _back and forth, back and forth, back and forth... _It was enough to drive any person insane, but Loki found an odd comfort in it. They threw the bare minimum of food to him every week, and a golden apple every month, to keep him alive. At the beginning of his sentence, Loki wanted to just ignore the apples, until Thor was shoved in and was the only person Loki let close enough to force feed the key to immortality to him.

A screech echoed in his cell, as a hatch opened far above his head. The soft glow of a golden apple filled his cell, radiating an aura of warmth, comfort and strength. He picked it up slowly, taking time to note how his fingers had become even more skeletal since his imprisonment. He'd been teased by Thor when they were mere children about his hands. _"Definitely not Warrior's hands",_ Thor had quipped, and it was true, for Loki's hands were almost musical; long spindly fingers with less broad palms and comparatively weaker wrists to Thor's giant shovels.

As he relished in the sweet – far too sweet- apple, a flood of strength and warmth enveloped him like an embrace. He knew it would fade after a few minutes, but it was blissful.

Yes, his imprisonment could be an awful lot worse.


	2. Ten Years Ago

**You'll Long for something as sweet as Pain**

(Set roughly ten years after the Chitauri Invasion)

10 years ago

Bruce couldn't believe his luck. Tony Stark, _the_ Tony Stark, had invited the lowly physicist to live with him and the other Avengers in New York. Somehow Fury agreed that it would be a good idea to keep their team in one place for whenever they're told to suit up.

Of course he'd argued, how couldn't he? He turned into "An-Enormous-Green-Rage-Monster", as Stark so aptly put it, whenever he got annoyed, but he had no choice to accept once Fury found out and practically ordered him to stay.

He was back in Kolkata to simply pack his belongings.

At least, that was the original plan.

As they drove through the dusty slums, Bruce felt rather guilty. Guilty for leaving the kind family behind, guilty for flouncing into a life of wealth and luxury when he could help these people in poverty.

He packed his small collection of belongings silently, the older woman saying not a word as her Husband and sons slept fitfully. Still silently, he handed her a briefcase filled with cholera tablets and left without a word.

He was about to step into the air-conditioned, S.H.I.E.L.D issued car when a small shadow in an alleyway stopped him. The Agent driving the car was close to ordering him back, but watched cautiously as the mild-mannered man picked up a small bundle of cloth from an alleyway. He cursed when Banner turned back to the car with the small bundle- _a girl_-in his arms.

"I'm sorry Sir, but I can't allow you to-"

"She _needs_ medical assistance." Interrupted Banner. The Agent briefly glanced and winced as he noted her pale pallor and irregular breathing that snuffled out of a blocked nose.

"Sir, the nearest hospital is-"

"I can treat her if we get back to base."

"But-" he noted how the girl's breathing grew even worse, and stopped speaking. He inwardly sighed as he started the car.

* * *

Bruce was terrified for the small girl. It was only now that he realised who she was; she was the girl who Natasha 'hired' to lure him out of his old home. Without her, he would still be there, struggling to keep his anger under control, or worse, living under the thumb of a Psychotic Norse God with Daddy Issues.

She was shivering violently, yet her forehead was painfully hot. He leapt out of the car before it had stopped properly and ran inside, telling shocked agents to bring water and plenty of it. He wasn't quite sure what she was ailing from, but after an hour or so of force feeding her water and an admittedly lousy S.H.I.E.L.D meal, her breathing settled and she looked slightly less pale.

She mumbled something incoherent as she woke up. She sat up abruptly, obviously panicked at being somewhere she didn't recognise. He placed a cool hand on her small forearm.

"Śānta hōna, āmi āpani byathā pābēna nā." (_Calm down, I won't hurt you_.) The girl paused as she noticed him, and settled as she seemed to recognise him. She still didn't lose the wary expression, so Bruce pointed to himself.

"Bruce. Āpanāra nāma ki?" (_What's your name?)_

"Shanta." She whispered softly, but looked alarmed as Bruce burst out laughing. "_Ki_?" she asked impatiently. Bruce couldn't stop laughing. Of course her name would mean 'Calm' in Sanskrit.

* * *

The decision to adopt her was relatively easy. When prompted, she told him that she had no family to speak of and her home had been flooded during the Monsoon. Hesitantly, he'd asked if she wanted a family, and she had nodded.

Cue to a week later and the Avengers Tower had an extra resident in the form of a tiny eight year old girl from the slums of Kolkata.

* * *

Thoughts so far?

This is really something that came to mind one day, and I went "I MUST DO THIS."


	3. Nine Years Ago new

**Nine years ago**

**I was just flicking through my emails a moment ago, and the amount of alerts for this is... Amazing, completely and utterly, amazing. Thank you SO MUCH for all the favourites for both the story and myself, and I promise I'll (try to) update regularly. **

**DEAR LORD, I WROTE THIS NOTE, LIKE, A WEEK AGO AND ONLY JUST FINISHED. I AM SO SORRY.**

* * *

Shanta was slowly growing used to her life in New York. Yes it was odd with everyone speaking a different language, no dust on the streets and buildings that towered like giants, but she wouldn't trade her new, almost alien life for a moment.

She had a family now, in the form of Bruce and the Avengers, which was brilliant but odd. She'd never had to worry about telling someone where she was going before, hence panicking Bruce and Tony when JARVIS reported she'd left the Tower to goodness knows where. She'd never had so much food available to her, and for the first few weeks, she had gorged herself on everything.

Another part of her life which bewildered her was JARVIS. They both seemed wary of eachother, (If an AI could be wary, but who knows?) JARVIS was difficult to explain to Shanta at first, but she usually referred to him as Abhibhābaka, which Tony found adorable because it meant "Guardian."

Both Bruce, and on occasion, Tony, would teach her English. Tony taught himself Bengali, (for Shanta's sake, although he'd never admit it) and after three weeks, Tony knew Bengali enough to hold a conversation with Bruce and Shanta. (He also programmed JARVIS to answer any questions Shanta may have into Bengali, but only if she asked in Bengali first.)

Shanta adored her 'Uncle' Tony and he found her equally lovable. He was quick to notice how Bruce was calmer than before around her, living up to her name, yet perhaps the lack of Alien-invasion threats was helping somewhat. Tony wasn't... an _excellent_ role model, yet Tony proved to at least be a loving one to the Physicist's surrogate daughter.

He spoilt her rotten, and Pepper joked about being jealous to Tony when the small girl earned more attention from the billionaire than she did, but Pepper couldn't resent her for it. Shanta was afraid of Pepper at first, as she seemed a little imposing to Shanta, but was soon known as 'Aunty Pep' after they curled up on the sofa watching a Disney Marathon in front of the largest TV in the main lounge. Pepper also provided the only mother figure to her during her first three months in New York, and shared Tony's enthusiasm in spoiling her. She was Shanta's company when Tony and Bruce were busy "Doing Science" and became Pepper's unofficial mascot at Stark Industries for a short while.

* * *

Shanta's English had only slightly improved by the time Captain Rogers joined them in the Tower. He, unlike Bruce, had found a way to keep his Apartment in Brooklyn for the month during clean up. As soon as S.H.I.E.L.D had it covered, he'd been kicked out of his apartment by Fury and ordered to move in with Banner and Stark.

He was thoroughly bemused by JARVIS, by Pepper and Tony's somehow functional relationship, and became friends with Rhodey when the Colonel made an appearance. He settled in rather well; learning how to use a StarkPhone, providing food and early morning coffee to Tony and Bruce when needed, as they all proved to be slight insomniacs. His frankly terrifying rate of punching bag consumption caused Tony to mutter darkly and start work on an alternative.

Shanta didn't like Steve at first, because he would often argue with her Uncle Tony. However, it was in Steve's nature to adore children, but was slightly saddened that she'd scowl at him. It wasn't until she was left in his care that she spoke to him.

Pepper had a meeting, and Tony and Bruce were both in the lab. Steve was first up, as usual, and was making himself an omelette. He glanced towards the open door as Shanta softly padded into the room, visibly wincing as her bare feet stuck to the cold tiled floor.

"Good Morning." greeted Steve cheerily, but Shanta ignored him. Steve grinned at her obvious brush-off. "Breakfast?" He gestured towards the frying pan.

"No thank you." She answered coldly, accent lilting.

"Hm. Well Bann- uh, your Dad will be in the lab today, so you'll have to make your own, y'know." His statement sounded more of an _"Are you sure?"_ than anything else. Shanta nodded, and opened the high tech fridge for a carton of milk.

Steve mentally tutted, before dishing up the omelette and handing it to her, (he could easily make another.) She looked at it warily before taking it, glancing up at him as he'd grown an extra head. He gestured for her to eat it, and after a few silent minutes, she tentatively nibbled a corner. He visibly slumped with relief as she grinned at him, inhaling the rest. She looked up at him expectantly, hands around her plate.

"Oh so you want more, do you?"

"Yes please." She muttered with a small smile.

The rest of the day was spent exploring New York. Steve took her to his old neighbourhood in Brooklyn, where her small hand in his grip kept him anchored in the present. They visit museums and art galleries, both wearing the same look of awe and glee. They held a picnic in Central Park for Lunch and Steve insisted on teaching Shanta to make daisy chains when she'd seen a couple more girls making some in a group.

They arrived back at the Tower, (Bruce slightly panicked as his adoptive daughter had been gone all day) and agreed to do it more often.

* * *

The residents had all fallen into a routine when Natasha and Clint joined them in late September. Tony and Bruce would stay in the underground lab for the majority of the day, leaving Steve with Shanta to explore New York even further. In the evenings, Tony would insist on getting Steve up to date with pop culture and films.

The two men had sat down and simply poured out their souls to eachother one night, Tony armed with nothing but a tumbler of whiskey. They discussed Howard, how they both became heroes (although Tony couldn't stop laughing at Steve's description of himself pre-serum for a solid half hour), and to Tony's dismay, he admitted how he had hero-worshipped Steve in his childhood.

The two had become extremely close, which worried Pepper, Bruce and Rhodey, (whenever he wasn't on a classified mission in Tony's Mark II suit.) They rarely argued, and it was mainly witty banter and snark (later dubbed by Bruce as 'Stark Snark') during meals, which Pepper insisted on hauling the two scientists up stairs for.

Of course, Shanta had instantly recognised Natasha, and hid shyly behind Tony's and Bruce's legs. Natasha merely raised an eyebrow at Bruce, who met her stare. With a tone of pride in his voice, he introduced Shanta to Clint and Natasha. Natasha still kept a beady eye on Bruce, but Clint looked faintly amused.

"Is she our new mascot or something?"

"You could say that."

Steve and Tony started to argue again, as Clint was proving to be a bad influence on Tony. Daily sarcasm battles between billionaire and assassin became the norm, whenever Tony left his lab and Clint left his extremely awesome shooting range.

Shanta was now rather fluent in English, but still didn't quite understand sarcasm yet. She only needed to look at her Uncle Steve and see the disapproving frown to know they were just messing around. He would dive for Shanta's ears whenever either of them used a swearword, and later the arguments would start again, causing a slight rift between Billionaire and Super-soldier. They still got along, but preferably when Barton wasn't there.

Shanta never saw Natasha much, as the female Assassin would train constantly and barely spoke during meals. It itched at the back of Shanta's mind to go and see her, so she asked JARVIS to take her to the training floor.

Shanta knew of Natasha's reputation, as someone who'd been hired by the Black Widow would, but was still slightly awestruck as Natasha dodged and dived with a deadly grace from one of Tony's specially built robots that mimicked fight patterns and so forth to keep the Avengers on her toes.

A roundhouse kick to the Robot's chest sent it flying, leaving Natasha slightly sweaty and barely out of breath. She eventually noticed Shanta, and asked after a sip of water

"Kēmana ācha tumi?" (_How are you?_)

"Āmi bhāla." _(I'm good) _Natasha nodded, and her eyes softened.

"I am to say... Thank you." Said Shanta sincerely.

"What for?" asked Natasha, genuinely confused.

"For giving me a-" Shanta's face crumpled, trying to pluck the word from her mind.

"Chance?" suggested Natasha.

"No. Well yes, but... You give me a _Jībana_."

"A life?" whispered Natasha. Shanta nodded, and either quite knew what was happening, the Assassin was holding the girl in her arms.

* * *

Victor Von Doom attempts to invade New York, six months after Shanta and Bruce moved into the Tower. Of course, the Avengers are called to assemble by Fury, but they were left with a slight problem.

"What are suggesting, Fury?" snapped Tony. "Leave a defenceless nine-"

"-Eight-" interrupted Bruce, desperately trying not to see green as Natasha placed a reassuring hand on his heaving shoulders.

"-year old girl in the Tower whilst Daddy goes off to fight the bad guys?" spat Tony. "Y'know I thought you were heartless, but _this-_"

"Our other option being?" asked Fury rhetorically.

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps letting her stay in a high security government base where she can be protected?"

"Stark, we don't know what she may do."

"Sir," interjected Steve. "She _is_ only eight years old. What _could_ she do?"

"You could ask Agent Romanov." stated Fury coolly. Natasha looked faintly guilty under everyone's stare.

"I started that young" whispered Natasha.

"So, it is out of the question, Stark." Finished Fury. "However, we can provide a few agents to protect her."

"That will have to do." Answered Clint instead of the other four who opened their mouths to speak.

Von Doom simply would not give up. Tony was getting more frustrated by the minute. The Doombots were multiplying rapidly, and it was taking hours for any sort of change in the battle.

_Well at least Fury can whinge about the state of the roads,_ he thought a little too gleefully. The Avengers were joined by Rhodey at some point, and slowly the number of Doombots decreased. Four other superheroes in spandex suits that could rival good ole Captain Rogers' joined later on and Tony made a note to JARVIS to keep an eye on the stretchy guy fighting with Natasha, the guy on fire zooming around with him and Rhodey in the air, the woman who flickered in and out of a fight alongside Steve, and a creature that was currently fighting with Bruce as the Hulk, combined to make a metaphorical hurricane of destruction through the Doombot numbers.

He only hoped, for Doom's sake, that he wouldn't make the mistake in harming Shanta.

* * *

Shanta watched her family fight the metal monsters in a queasy fascination on the TV. She instantly spotted Aunty Natasha fighting with a man whose arms stretched unnaturally, and kept an eye on Uncle Clint, who was on the roof of a building a few blocks away firing arrows down and causing explosions. She vaguely recognised Uncle Steve in a funny blue costume fighting alongside... Empty air? No, a woman flickered on the screen, and quickly flickered out as a robot noticed her and fired at the spot she was in before she vanished.

The rest she couldn't recognise; three of the people were in the sky, two in metal suits, one on fire _(?), _and two monsters on the street, who must be on the good side because they were fighting the metal monsters with her Family. The smaller looked like cracked Earth, and the other was bulky and green, yet oddly familiar.

She huffed impatiently. She wanted to see her Dad, but the Agent looking after her told her not to worry, and that he'd be back soon. Said Agent was sitting next to her, biting his thumbnail as his only show of nervousness.

"Mr Jones?" asked Shanta.

"Yes, Miss Banner?"

"Where is my Daddy?" The agent froze, _was he allowed to tell her? _He was spared from the awkward task when the reporter on the TV sounded more excited than before, showing a huge mass of lightning hitting practically every metal monster, causing them to collapse in the street.

* * *

It was barely ten minutes after Thor's attack when Von Doom was arrested and safely held in the captivity of SHIELD. Hulk felt his bones shrink back to their puny size, slowly growing less angry as Banner woke up.

Bruce was thankful for the stretchy pants Tony had invented, so he wasn't completely naked amongst the rubble.

"Need a hand?" grunted a large hulk-like creature to his side, who was holding it's arm out in a gesture of kindness. Bruce took it, wincing slightly as sharp remains of the road dug into his bare feet.

"Thanks." He grunted.

"Don't mention it." The other grinned. They both walked back to the small clump of allies who were gathered in the middle of the street. As they neared, Bruce could just make out what the navy suited, salt and pepper haired man was saying to Tony.

"-huge honour to meet you, Mr Stark."

"It's no problem, Mr...?"

"Richards, Reed Richards. I'm a huge fan. Seriously, nice job with the invasion in May."

"Uh oh." Muttered Bruce to himself.

"What?" grunted the creature next to him.

"I don't think Tony needed that extra boost to his ego." The creature chuckled, and the noise practically vibrated the floor.

"I'm Ben," said the creature when he stopped laughing, "otherwise known as 'The Thing'"

"Bruce," he grinned back, shaking Ben's hand, "otherwise known as 'The Hulk'"

"Ah, and here's the last member of my team." Said Richards. "This is my wife Susan," at his words, a rather attractive blond woman to appeared out of nowhere, causing Tony to look a tad jealous at Reed.

"You might recognise Johnny. He was helping you and Colonel Rhodes up there." Bruce looked over the blond in suspicion. _Looks a bit like Steve_, he thought, and he obviously wasn't the only one, as Thor looked slightly stunned and kept glancing between The Human Torch and Captain Rogers.

"And this is Ben, our equivalent to the Hulk, I suppose." finished Richards. The Thing nodded.

"So yeah, it was nice meeting you." Grinned Tony "If you ever want to give us a hand-"

"I'd be honoured, Stark." Reed's smiled matched Tony's as the four identical suited heroes walked away. Not before Bruce caught Johnny's sly wink at Natasha and Clint's answering glare.

* * *

"I still don't trust him."

"Barton, it was harmless." Sighed Natasha. Clint's nose wrinkled again, and Bruce caught his laugh in time to hide it. They were crammed into the private elevator, and with a Norse God, a super soldier and Tony still in his suit, it was more than a little cramped.

"You still on about that?" asked Tony rhetorically, and despite the helmet still covering his face, everyone knew he was using his trademark shit-eating grin.

"It appears he still is, friend Stark" boomed Thor, causing Natasha and Steve to wince as they were closest to him. They both visibly slumped with relief when the doors opened with a soft _ping._

"Baba!" shouted Shanta gleefully as she launched into Bruce's waiting arms. Agent Jones found it far too adorable, and nodded at Mr Stark as he left the building.

Shanta watched over Bruce's shoulder as Tony's armour folded up on itself. He grinned as he caught her gaze. She pestered Bruce to let her down, and promptly hugged every Avenger... Then reached Thor. She faltered slightly, but still hugged him around his legs. The Asgardian looked at Bruce in pure confusion.

"I wasn't aware you had a daughter, Banner."

"I didn't, she's adopted." Thor's slight smile vanished entirely. _Oh right_, thought Bruce. _Loki was adopted too._

The serious look on Thor's face made everyone a little uneasy.

"My brother has been imprisoned on Asgard for a few millennia." stated Thor, knowing what the others were trying to ask politely. "Despite what he has done... I miss him." He finished, sounding more than a little forlorn. Shanta looked up and met the God's eyes. They seemed to silently communicate, and their spell was broken by JARVIS announcing Fury's arrival.

* * *

A month after Thor had moved in, Darcy, Eric Selvig and Jane were politely offered a place to stay in the Avengers tower too. It had been Thor's condition if he stayed, that his friends in New Mexico were to stay too.

Tony wasn't very impressed, as Jane and Selvig moved all their research into the lab that Bruce and Tony worked in.

"It's not _fair._" Tony whinged as _yet another_ cardboard box was brought down by Selvig.

"There is another lab downstairs Tony." Chuckled Bruce. "You built it for me, remember? You don't complain that I work here too." He flicked a piece of data from his screen to Tony's side of the room.

"Yeah, but you're a science Bro." Tony flicked the data back with a few modifications. "She'll probably make us tidy up or something." He muttered.

"There's Selvig?"

"The guy who was tesseracted by the God of Daddy Issues?" asked Tony wryly, and for the first time in what felt like years, Bruce actually laughed. Not a chuckle, but a full on belly laugh.

"That's the last of them." Commented Jane as she dumped a box full of notebooks on the floor. She stood awkwardly until Bruce stepped forward.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced, I'm Bruce Banner."

"Jane Foster," she replied, taking his hand. "My assistant Darcy was supposed to help, but-"

"Apparently not?" Jane hummed.

"The last I saw her was upstairs with Thor and the little girl. I think they were watching one of the Disney films?"

"Most likely." Interjected Tony, thoroughly bored with nobody else's attention on him. "Hi, I'm Tony Stark." Bruce snorted and Jane nodded.

"Yeah, I... know who you are." She gushed.

"Hm. Well are you going to be helping us with our sciency stuff, or?"

"I'll be working on the Bifrost bridge research... It may take a while." Jane replied. Bruce and Tony shared a glance.

"D'you want any help?" asked Tony.

By the end of the year, all of the Avenger

* * *

s had moved in, alongside Jane, Darcy, Selvig and Rhodey. After a few test runs, the combined brainpower of Tony, Bruce, Jane and Selvig developed a rather stable connection to the Bifrost, enabling Asgard to finish their Rainbow bridge.

The warriors three and Lady Sif visited 'Midgard' every now and then (with Rhodey gaining an unhealthy obsession with Sif, but she was either oblivious or didn't mind.) The Avengers settled into an easy routine, and all became a large dysfunctional family to eachother and to Shanta.

She was still getting fully used to her life in New York, but she wouldn't swap her life for anything in the nine realms.

* * *

**I can't believe I produced 3,260 something words. That... Wow.**


	4. Eight Years Ago

Eight years ago

Tony had had enough. Thor had grown more distant from the rest of the team since he'd moved in eighteen months ago. Although he wouldn't say why, even Tony could see that the God of Mischief was forever in Thor's thoughts. None of the Avengers were there when Loki was on trial, but Thor came back with less cheer, and his booming voice was much more subdued.

Tony wasn't quite sure how, but he wanted to fix the broken Norse God. He went around every Avenger, asked Pepper, even JARVIS at one point, but their ideas seemed a little ridiculous.

He almost gave up, but Thor's girlfriend - Jane, wasn't it? – And Bruce's adopted daughter Shanta came back from the Grocery store with the usual dozen bags of Pop tarts for Thor.

"Good evening Ladies." greeted Tony with his usual grin. Shanta self consciously hid behind Jane. Jane look at Shanta bemused before turning back to Tony, matching his grin.

"Mr. Stark. I assume you wanted something?"

"No, of course not." He scoffed, Jane '_Ah_'ing before unpacking the bags. "Unless of course-"

"Yes Mr. Stark?"

"Uh, you wouldn't know how to cheer up a Norse God of Thunder would you?" Jane's grin faltered.

"You don't think I haven't tried?" she asked rhetorically. Her expression softened and her posture slumped a little before she carried on. "I know it's to do with Loki, but-"

"What's Loki?" asked Shanta below them.

"Um, Loki was Thor's brother. He went a little..." Jane couldn't quite find the word for it and she looked at Tony for help.

"Uh, Psychotic? Mental?"

"I wouldn't put it that way-" hurried Jane "-But he isn't the brother Thor used to love. He's changed, and Thor wants him back." She finished softly.

"Sounds like he needs a Mitrah." replied Shanta.

"A what-?" asked Jane, but Tony was grinning.

"That's it! Shanta, you are a genius!" exclaimed Tony, swooping down to give her a hug, causing the poor girl to giggle madly.

* * *

A friend... Where could Thor get a friend? He thought Jane wouldn't appreciate it if he invited Thor clubbing, so that was a no.

"Hey Pepper?" he asked as she clicked through the door.

"Yeah Tony?"

"I reckon Thor needs a friend, and-"

"Why not get him a pet? Something to look after?" She almost, _almost_, regretted saying it because a manic look crossed Tony's face.

"ThankYouPepper." He babbled, kissed her on the cheek and had the hindsight to grab a coat before escaping the Tower.

* * *

"Can I help you?" asked a bored voice from behind the counter.

"Yeah, uh, I need a pet." The person –Was it a he or a she? - blinked slowly and managed to look even more indifferent.

"What kind of pet do you want?" he/she/it asked almost sarcastically. Before Tony could answer and embarrass himself further, his StarkPhone vibrated in his pocket.

_From Pepper_

_Don't get a dog; Thor had a bad experience with a pack of wolves when he was younger._

_No small rodents, he might squash them. _

_No fish either, because he might eat it. _

Tony frowned.

_From I am so Awesome_

_Well what am I supposed to get?_

_From Pepper_

_I don't know! A cat? Jane hasn't warned me about those._

Tony turned back to the uncategorised species, full charm back on.

* * *

Tony practically hummed on his way back to the Tower. So what if a few people gave him odd glances? He'd just bought a cat, well, Kitten for a Norse God, which was pretty awesome.

"Have you got enough there, Tony?" asked Clint rhetorically as Tony emerged from the plush elevator with armfuls of cat food, cat bed, scratching post and Kitten. Clint was currently giving Natasha a foot massage on the larger sofa.

"_Why_ have you bought a cat, Stark?" asked Natasha monotonously without glancing up from her book.

"You got a cat?" asked Darcy excitedly from an armchair in the corner.

"Need a hand, Tony?" asked Captain Goody-Two-Shoes as he walked through the door.

"Nope, I got this Capsicle."

"What _is_ the cat for?" asked Bruce.

"Is that Thor's new Mitrah?" asked Shanta who was sitting beside her beloved Baba.

"Yes, yes he is." Answered Tony, who promptly placed the kitten on the coffee table in the centre of the room. It looked a little unsteady on its stumpy black legs, and its green eyes looked far too big for its partially white face.

Darcy scooped him up before anyone could blink, and was cooing over it.

"Aw he's so cute!" she squealed. "What's his name?" she asked Tony, who shrugged.

"It's Thor's choice." Clint abandoned Natasha's feet for a moment.

"Can I?" he asked Darcy, who begrudgingly handed the little bundle of fluff. It squirmed out of Clint's grasp, and latched itself onto the thing of interest.

Natasha's right foot.

This immediately caused the ginger assassin to curse loudly in Russian, Tony, Clint and Shanta to burst out laughing, and Darcy and Bruce to run to said Russian and prise the kitten off Natasha's foot.

Time stood still as the Kitten flew off Natasha's foot... And into Jane's arms as she walked through the door with Thor right behind. She looked bemused until she saw Tony trying to tell her something telepathically.

_Is the Kitten for Thor? _She asked with her eyes.

_Yes! Now give it to him. _

Wordlessly, she handed Thor the nameless fluff ball, and it mewled in protest as it was passed to a pair of larger hands. They all waited, impatiently in Tony's case, and gradually, as his thumb drew circles across the small furry head, Thor melted.

"I shall name this creature Loki, and-" he was interrupted by the majority of the room bursting out with laughter.

"Couldn't think of a better name myself." Spluttered Tony between very un-manly giggles.

So it came to be that Loki the Kitten became part of the Avengers family.


End file.
